Radical Transparency Is Asserted as a Competitive Advantage. Prove It.

What struck me, and let me play around with the absurdity of this, but what struck me as you were describing that there is it's almost like there's an oxymoron at the heart of what I'm about to suggest.

So I would like you to pull it apart, but it's almost like in the real world, This idea of radical transparency, which essentially to me looks like complete transparency.

So warts and all across every facet of your business.

That is just, I mean, in most cases, and I say most with an asterisk, in most cases, that just feels like wholly unrealistic.

And what's almost more realistic is the notion of selective radical transparency, right? i.e.

we've identified those areas within our organization where we can be truly and completely transparent, but clearly we're not going to be fully and completely transparent about all aspects of our organization because of all of the commercial legal considerations that go with that.

Actually, yes.

And I'm so glad you brought that up because to me, the missing piece of this article was... bringing in like a sustainability qualification, right? So this felt like radical transparency everywhere for all things, all the time is the answer.

And it's almost like we need to put an asterisk on that and maybe say, you know, let's be selective about it to me.

And actually the timing for all this is really interesting because I think earlier this week, There was an FT supplement article that actually you were quoted in where I thought it was brilliant because you're talking about in the context of sustainability communications, that's such an easy place for transparency to be radical.

And so it was almost a missed opportunity for the article to not give a few examples within a business where radical transparency could really thrive and do good.

You know, there's, I think, elements of the business, sustainability being one of them, where it's such low-hanging fruit to be radically transparent, where you can really generate, I think, a lot of goodwill, a lot of trust, etc., etc.

Yeah, I mean, I think I agree with you completely on that.

I got a few issues with the article and kind of how it's laid out.

But generally, I feel like sustainability is the place where maybe transparency could be radical, if we're going to call it radical.

I'm not sold on radical.

To me, radical fear...

Sorry, I want to jump in here, Andrew, because that's the point I want to pick up on, is that it really, to me, is...

I mean, what's been suggested in this article, as I read it, was what I would consider to be radical transparency, which is you don't get to pick and choose.

You don't get to identify the areas that you can and cannot be, you know, open, more open and transparent.

You just are across everything with everyone.

That's radical.

You can't have your cake and eat it.

Like it's either radical or it's selective, right?

I think those two things can coexist.

What struck me, and let me play around with the absurdity of this, but what struck me as you were describing that there is it's almost like there's an oxymoron at the heart of what I'm about to suggest.

So I would like you to pull it apart, but it's almost like in the real world, This idea of radical transparency, which essentially to me looks like complete transparency.

So warts and all across every facet of your business.

That is just, I mean, in most cases, and I say most with an asterisk, in most cases, that just feels like wholly unrealistic.

And what's almost more realistic is the notion of selective radical transparency, right? i.e.

we've identified those areas within our organization where we can be truly and completely transparent, but clearly we're not going to be fully and completely transparent about all aspects of our organization because of all of the commercial legal considerations that go with that.

Actually, yes.

And I'm so glad you brought that up because to me, the missing piece of this article was... bringing in like a sustainability qualification, right? So this felt like radical transparency everywhere for all things, all the time is the answer.

And it's almost like we need to put an asterisk on that and maybe say, you know, let's be selective about it to me.

And actually the timing for all this is really interesting because I think earlier this week, There was an FT supplement article that actually you were quoted in where I thought it was brilliant because you're talking about in the context of sustainability communications, that's such an easy place for transparency to be radical.

And so it was almost a missed opportunity for the article to not give a few examples within a business where radical transparency could really thrive and do good.

You know, there's, I think, elements of the business, sustainability being one of them, where it's such low-hanging fruit to be radically transparent, where you can really generate, I think, a lot of goodwill, a lot of trust, etc., etc.

Yeah, I mean, I think I agree with you completely on that.

I got a few issues with the article and kind of how it's laid out.

But generally, I feel like sustainability is the place where maybe transparency could be radical, if we're going to call it radical.

I'm not sold on radical.

To me, radical fear...

Sorry, I want to jump in here, Andrew, because that's the point I want to pick up on, is that it really, to me, is...

I mean, what's been suggested in this article, as I read it, was what I would consider to be radical transparency, which is you don't get to pick and choose.

You don't get to identify the areas that you can and cannot be, you know, open, more open and transparent.

You just are across everything with everyone.

That's radical.

You can't have your cake and eat it.

Like it's either radical or it's selective, right?

I think those two things can coexist.